Bob Owens

Obama uses SOTU to pine for a military dictatorship

Written By: Bob
-
Jan•
25•12

During the State of the Union address last night, Poverty President Barack Obama made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t want to lead a democratic Republic. He wishes to be the dictator to Americans who must follow his directives.

Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought — and several thousand gave their lives.

We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world. (Applause.) For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. (Applause.) For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. (Applause.) Most of al Qaeda’s top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban’s momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.

These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness and teamwork of America’s Armed Forces. At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They’re not consumed with personal ambition. They don’t obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together.

Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. (Applause.) Think about the America within our reach: A country that leads the world in educating its people. An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs. A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world. An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded.

He wishes for a world where the citizenry has to take his orders, just like the military does, something I noted on Twitter at the time he made those remarks.

Having not read the prepared remarks, I was more than a little surprised to hear him return to the same theme.

Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who’ve been sent here to serve can learn a thing or two from the service of our troops. When you put on that uniform, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white; Asian, Latino, Native American; conservative, liberal; rich, poor; gay, straight. When you’re marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails. When you’re in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one nation, leaving no one behind.

One of my proudest possessions is the flag that the SEAL Team took with them on the mission to get bin Laden. On it are each of their names. Some may be Democrats. Some may be Republicans. But that doesn’t matter. Just like it didn’t matter that day in the Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates — a man who was George Bush’s defense secretary — and Hillary Clinton — a woman who ran against me for president.

All that mattered that day was the mission. No one thought about politics. No one thought about themselves. One of the young men involved in the raid later told me that he didn’t deserve credit for the mission. It only succeeded, he said, because every single member of that unit did their job — the pilot who landed the helicopter that spun out of control; the translator who kept others from entering the compound; the troops who separated the women and children from the fight; the SEALs who charged up the stairs. More than that, the mission only succeeded because every member of that unit trusted each other — because you can’t charge up those stairs, into darkness and danger, unless you know that there’s somebody behind you, watching your back.

So it is with America. Each time I look at that flag, I’m reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those 50 stars and those 13 stripes. No one built this country on their own. This nation is great because we built it together. This nation is great because we worked as a team. This nation is great because we get each other’s backs. And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great; no mission too hard. As long as we are joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, and our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong.

Supporters of the President will possibly claim that he was just being patriotic, trying to rally the citizens around the flag.

I guess there is a first time for everything.

I’m not the only one that picked up on the President’s apparent desire to be Commander-in-Chief-of-Us-All. The always insightful Tom Maguire picked up on it as well.

Pardon me, but the military unites behind the mission established by the Commander-in-Chief, as I hope Obama knows. Is this really how the President of the United States thinks a democracy ought to work? Is this the way to tell the world that the dictatorships of Cuba Korea and Iran have it wrong and we have it right?

And since Obama is basking in our exit from Iraq (no mention of “victory”, but still…), does he consider himself to have had George Bush’s back during the surge Bush launched in January 2007? Did Obama join with Bush in common purpose? Did he help to promote our common resolve?

I may be wrong, but my impression is that when back when Obama disagreed with a President it was a vital contribution to a robust democratic debate; today, people who disagree with our President lack fundamental American values such as teamwork and shared commitment. Whatever.

Barack Obama doesn’t want free citizens that hold him accountable for the many failures of his Presidency. He wants to issue orders to the Republic, and have them blindly followed. Unfortunately for him (and Obama sycophant NC Governor Beverly Perdue) we will be having a Presidential election in November, whether they like it, or not.